Learning becomes so much more interesting when they learn through experience and exploration. The foundation to learning is exposure and experience. When students construct their own learning experience through making connections to what’s being taught, learning becomes much more powerful and meaningful. EBL a form of Whole Child Education where the student integrates his/her own intellect, feelings and senses into his/her learning. This leads to high level of engagement, motivation and involvement. Examples of experience based learning include role-play, games, simulations, visualizations. “Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience.” (Kolb 1984:38) David Kolb describes that the learning cycle is in 4 stages. Below is an example:
Stage
Example
The learner has a “concrete experience.”
In a mechanical engineering course, students are asked to use 20 popsicle sticks to build a small bridge that will support 500 grams.
The learner makes observations and reflections based upon that experience.
Students note which popsicle sticks failed first, whether the sticks supported more when they were laid flat versus on their edges, and so on.
The observations and reflections are synthesized into a new conceptual understanding and interpretation of the experience.
Students develop a list of construction “principles” or best practices.
This conceptual understanding is applied and is used to guide new and purposeful experiences.
Students build another iteration of the bridge with the list of construction principles in mind.
Diagram of Kolb's Learning Cycle
Montessori schools use EBL, allowing students to have a lot of hands-on experience. When students learn phonics, they follow the Word Mat method. Children are each given a box and in each box there are items. The item they pick out from the box, they must spell it. Afterwards, the student goes to the Alphabet Box to grab letters that he/she thinks he/she would need. Then, they bring the letters over to the mat and start spelling the word. In order to spell, they are practicing their phonics. They are familiarizing themselves with letter sounds in order to spell. So if the word is “cat,” the kid has to sound out the word letter by letter (kah-ahh-tuh) to figure out its spelling. With Montessori education, students develop a sense of reverence for life and care for the earth. Through exploration and experience in their learning from hands-on activities, they get a sense of meaning and purpose in their lives.
Another classroom activity to do with students is Math Walk, where students are given the opportunity to learn math by exploring buildings and other surroundings. In learning shapes and angles, the teacher brings the class to a nature walk along the path. Children are expected to point out any shapes and angles that they see during the walk. It’s up to the teacher to decide what “path” they take, whether it’s a walk to the park or a walk around the neighbourhood. When students are noticing such angles and shapes in the environment they live in, learning becomes very relevant.
Waldorf Education is another example of experiential learning. By using the Waldorf approach, it provides students a deeper understanding to their learning through hands-on experience. In Waldorf education, the arts is central to each lesson. This means that the arts is integrated when English, Science, History, Math and Geography are being taught. With the integrated curriculum, students are given a lot of opportunities for hands-on activities. This video is an example students learning at Waldorf school. The children are not learning through paper and pen, they learn through exploration and experience.
"Each Main Lesson calls upon the child's powers of listening, of body movement, of thinking and of feeling. Artistic activity is particularly related to the will: it's an experience of doing, of making. Artwork also invites the child's feeling for expressiveness and encourages a kind of intuitive thinking about how to get things done." (Miller 2010, p.46)
Experiential based learning connects with holistic education as holistic education is about exploring and making connections. According to Jack Miller, both Waldorf and Montessori education have a vision of the whole child that includes body, mind and spirit. (Miller 2010) Both approaches let students understand that their learning is relevant to real life experience. When students are given the opportunity to explore and get hands-on experience, they are likely to get their "A-ha" moments.
More examples:
1. In using the five senses, preschool students are exploring and getting hands-on experience in the activities.
2. This website includes various activities where Science can be taught by incorporating nature into it. This makes Science learning a lot more engaging for students. They are making connections with nature and Science.
3. The Toronto Zoo offers several programs that integrates Canadian curriculum with experiential based learning whereby students engage with animals and get to explore around the zoo.
Experience Based Learning (EBL)
Learning becomes so much more interesting when they learn through experience and exploration. The foundation to learning is exposure and experience. When students construct their own learning experience through making connections to what’s being taught, learning becomes much more powerful and meaningful. EBL a form of Whole Child Education where the student integrates his/her own intellect, feelings and senses into his/her learning. This leads to high level of engagement, motivation and involvement. Examples of experience based learning include role-play, games, simulations, visualizations. “Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience.” (Kolb 1984:38) David Kolb describes that the learning cycle is in 4 stages. Below is an example:
Montessori schools use EBL, allowing students to have a lot of hands-on experience. When students learn phonics, they follow the Word Mat method. Children are each given a box and in each box there are items. The item they pick out from the box, they must spell it. Afterwards, the student goes to the Alphabet Box to grab letters that he/she thinks he/she would need. Then, they bring the letters over to the mat and start spelling the word. In order to spell, they are practicing their phonics. They are familiarizing themselves with letter sounds in order to spell. So if the word is “cat,” the kid has to sound out the word letter by letter (kah-ahh-tuh) to figure out its spelling. With Montessori education, students develop a sense of reverence for life and care for the earth. Through exploration and experience in their learning from hands-on activities, they get a sense of meaning and purpose in their lives.
Another classroom activity to do with students is Math Walk, where students are given the opportunity to learn math by exploring buildings and other surroundings. In learning shapes and angles, the teacher brings the class to a nature walk along the path. Children are expected to point out any shapes and angles that they see during the walk. It’s up to the teacher to decide what “path” they take, whether it’s a walk to the park or a walk around the neighbourhood. When students are noticing such angles and shapes in the environment they live in, learning becomes very relevant.
Waldorf Education is another example of experiential learning. By using the Waldorf approach, it provides students a deeper understanding to their learning through hands-on experience. In Waldorf education, the arts is central to each lesson. This means that the arts is integrated when English, Science, History, Math and Geography are being taught. With the integrated curriculum, students are given a lot of opportunities for hands-on activities. This video is an example students learning at Waldorf school. The children are not learning through paper and pen, they learn through exploration and experience.
"Each Main Lesson calls upon the child's powers of listening, of body movement, of thinking and of feeling. Artistic activity is particularly related to the will: it's an experience of doing, of making. Artwork also invites the child's feeling for expressiveness and encourages a kind of intuitive thinking about how to get things done." (Miller 2010, p.46)
Experiential based learning connects with holistic education as holistic education is about exploring and making connections. According to Jack Miller, both Waldorf and Montessori education have a vision of the whole child that includes body, mind and spirit. (Miller 2010) Both approaches let students understand that their learning is relevant to real life experience. When students are given the opportunity to explore and get hands-on experience, they are likely to get their "A-ha" moments.
More examples:
1. In using the five senses, preschool students are exploring and getting hands-on experience in the activities.
Preschool Activities Using 5 Senses2. This website includes various activities where Science can be taught by incorporating nature into it. This makes Science learning a lot more engaging for students. They are making connections with nature and Science.
Elementary Science Activities
3. The Toronto Zoo offers several programs that integrates Canadian curriculum with experiential based learning whereby students engage with animals and get to explore around the zoo.
Toronto Zoo - Education Programs
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Resources:
Andresen, Lee, David Boud, and Ruth Cohen. "Experience-based learning."Understanding adult education and training 2 (2000): 225-239
Miller, Jack. "Whole Child Education." Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2010. Print.
Miller, Jack. "The Holistic Curriculum." Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008. Print.
Equinox Holistic Alternative School. http://equinoxschool.ca/about/principles/. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/resources/integrative-learning/experiential-learning